7 Signs You’ve Found Your Calling

Last week, I've met a friend just to have a dinner. With the least amount of time we were able to share what happened to our lives in the past we have not been together. From our past conversations, we've been talking a lot about our calling and how we're gonna suppose to find it. And then I remember another friend shared to me a link where I can read to improve my writing and communication skills, and then I've found a worth sharing article from his blog.

Sometimes, figuring out our calling is not as that simple, some says, try everything as you want until you've figured out your calling - well there maybe a bit of truth about that but it might be a waste of time. I am going to share the 7 signs that you've found your calling that I've added a little bit information:

1. It's familiar.

Yes, your calling should be familiar to you but it's not obvious. Jeff Goins said that "You find your calling not by looking forward but by looking backward."

Your past can determine your calling, try to recall your past experiences and what have you learn about yourself. Did you find yourself being good at something in the past? How about the dreams you have in your childhood? I want to quote Steve Jobs for what he said;

“You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.”

So you find your calling not in the future but by going back in your past.

We cannot find our calling on our own, that's why I also don't believe in the idea of people who claimed themselves as a self-made millionaire or even billionaire. There are people who helped them to achieve that success, someone mentored them and support them along their journey. We cannot find our calling outside the context of community.

We all have blind spots, we can't see it all. We need someone who can mentor us and guide us to see what's the best in us. We need people that can speak to our life.

In the bible, David had no idea at all that he will be the next king of Israel until Samuel anointed him. Almost throughout the stories in the bible, God's plans were carried out by the people He called and in the context of community.

3. It's not easy.

A calling requires practice. It must be difficult enough because if it is not difficult, everyone will be doing it. Most of the great men who became successful in their life do what others are not willing to do. In this world that is full of noise and everyone wants to be heard, you must do something weird, something that others didn't do.

4. It requires faith.

A calling at first is unknown, Jacob doesn't know that he will become a nation yet he trusts God in everything.

Oswald Chambers said, "...if a person can explain exactly where and when she was called, then she probably wasn’t called at all."

"For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope." - Jeremiah 29:11

Your calling does not guarantee success or safety. If you're calling guarantees you to be safe and comfortable, you're wrong. Copying from what Jeff Goins wrote, theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote, “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.” And in his case, he was correct — he died a Christian martyr.

6. It's more than just one thing.

A calling is more than a job or a career. it integrates you in everything you do. This is important as well; "If a calling takes you away from your family or loved ones too much, it may be more of an addiction than a vocation".

7. It's bigger than you.

The task must be so big that you can't do it on your own or without a team. It should take the whole of your life to accomplish it. Just like those people who are called to be a missionary, the task is so big, it is not easy to share the gospel with other nations especially to restricted nations.The task is bigger than them but still God is bigger than it.

Just like Solomon, he knew leading the whole Israel would be a tough job and it is bigger than him, so instead of asking God for wealth, he asked for wisdom on how to lead the people. If the task does not intimidate you then you might thinking too small.

How about you? Do you have anything that you might want to add?

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I blog about my discoveries and learnings with personal development, blogging, writing, public speaking, and publishing. I am a Jesus follower. Each month, I send out a newsletter with free tips on those topics.